LEBANON: USG RESPONDS TO PM'S APPEAL TO REBUILD

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 001384 SIPDIS SIPDIS NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/GAVITO/HARDING E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2017 TAGS: PGOV KPAL PTER KPAO LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: USG RESPONDS TO PM'S APPEAL TO REBUILD NAHR EL-BARED Classified By: DCM William Grant for Reasons: Section 1.4 (b) and (d). SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (SBU) At a widely attended international donors conference on September 10, Prime Minister Siniora formally launched the appeal to rebuild the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp and to assist Lebanese citizens in the surrounding area who had been impacted by the 105-day armed conflict. UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen Abu Zayd sought USD 55 million to meet the emergency needs of affected population for the first year. The GOL's High Relief Commission also prepared a report calling for USD 28.5 million for relief, reconstruction and recovery in the surrounding municipalities outside the camp. The USG was one of only two donors to come forward with a firm public commitment and, with the USD 10 million for UNRWA and USD 100,000 from USAID/OFDA, we were by far the most generous. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Prime Minister Siniora personally chaired the conference titled "Nahr el-Bared Crisis Appeal: Post-Conflict Relief, Recovery and Reconstruction." The Ambassador was head of U.S. delegation and was accompanied by USAID Mission Director, Special Assistant, and PRM Regional Coordinator. The Prime Minister's opening remarks set the tone for the conference. He called the situation in Nahr el-Bared a "wake-up call" and that the stakes remain very high for those who face the threat of violent extremism. He said, "The challenge of peacemaking is often greater than the challenge of war and the challenges were face in Nahr al-Bared are manifold." He was pleased with the GOL's collaboration with the PLO to prevent violence from spreading to other camps. ¶3. (SBU) The PM decided to declare Nahr al-Bared and the surrounding area as one single disaster area, as both Palestinian and Lebanese populations suffered. UNRWA reps also confirmed that, for the provision of shelter, UNRWA also had decided to combine the two populations in their emergency relief efforts. The PM had assured residents of Nahr el-Bared that they would be able to return to their homes and he reiterated this commitment during his speech. "This cannot be another broken promise to the Palestinians." He hopes to use this rebuilding effort as an opportunity to enter into a new era of Lebanese-Palestinian relations. (Note: PM's remarks and all other conference documents can be found at www.lpdc.gov.lb. End Note.) ¶4. (SBU) The conference was well attended by local embassies, international organizations and NGOs. In addition to the U.S. contribution, the Norwegians came forward with a USD 1.7 contribution to UNRWA's Emergency Appeal. The Italians said they were waiting for final confirmation, but they expect to donate 2 million euros. The German intervention was confusing to both Embassy and UNRWA reps. They said they would donate USD 5.4 million, but it was unclear if this was new money directly for the emergency appeal. The World Bank is setting up a trust fund, but it appears that there are no current World Bank contributions in the account. World Bank reps have told UNRWA that they are able to offer "technical expertise" at this time. The United Arab Emirates noted their USD 5 million contribution in the form of modular homes, which was announced by the PLO and the GOL in August. Other donors said they would take time to read the assessments distributed by the PM today before deciding on their final amounts. ¶5. (C) The USG was the first to speak after the prepared speeches and the GOL contacts were pleased with our ability to publicly announce such a substantial contribution today. UNRWA is only counting the U.S. and Norwegian contributions to date, so the total from today's conference stands at USD 11.7 million for UNRWA, plus the USD 100,000 from USAID/OFDA which will be donated via a local NGO. End Comment. FELTMAN